Feline Urinary Tract Disorders
by Dr. Ron Rompala
Urinary tract disorders are a concern for cat owners. While attracting much attention, it is not a common problem with the number of new cases annually averaging less than 1% of the entire cat population. Feline urinary tract disorders are most frequent in cats that are two to six years of age. Many factors contribute to feline urinary tract disorders including stress, obesity, viruses and bacteria, genetics, and climate. Male cats are more prone to urinary tract disorders than females because of a narrower urethra. Symptoms of feline urinary tract disorders are frequent trips to the litter box, urinating in unusual places, blood in the urine, straining while urinating, excessive licking of the genital area, and depression.
Obstructed urinary tracts can be fatal if not promptly treated. Understanding the means to prevent urinary tract disorders becomes imperative to the cat owner. Diet has long been implicated as the major cause of urinary tract problems. Unfortunately, it is not that simple because so many factors can contribute to the problem.
Many people believe that the ash content of the diet is directly related to feline urinary tract disorders. This is not true. Ash is a measurement of inorganic substances in the feed. It is a very crude value obtained by determining the residual of a feed after incinerating for two hours at over 1000° F. Ash can be comprised of any amounts of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, salt, potassium, sulfur, silicon, essential trace minerals, and other minerals. Feed A, for example, can have an ash content of 6%, a calcium value of 1.8%, and magnesium at. 14%. Feed B can have an ash content of 7.5%, a calcium value of 1.5%, and a magnesium level of .09%. A cat owner can wrongly believe that Feed A would be a diet more likely to prevent urinary tract disorders than Feed B because of the lower ash value.
Recent research has shown that certain minerals are more closely associated with urinary tract disorders than others. Certain types of blockages result from struvites deposits that contain magnesium. Thus, a low magnesium diet aids in the prevention of struvites. Struvites are more likely to form when the pH of the urine is alkaline. Another type of blockage results from calcium oxalate deposits. In contrast to struvites, calcium oxalate tends to form in acidic urine. Thus, the ash content of a food is of little value for determining the potential for preventing feline urinary tract disorders.
Urinary pH can fluctuate from being acidic to alkaline all in a day. Urinary pH usually becomes alkaline a few hours after a meal. The larger the meal, the greater the increase in pH. Thus, feeding multiple meals or allowing the cat free access to food is more conducive in preventing magnesium struvites than feeding one large daily meal. Diets can be formulated to produce an acidic urine. However, a diet that produces a very acidic urine can be conducive in producing calcium oxalate. From our current knowledge, a good cat food not conducive in causing urinary tract disorders has a low magnesium and moderate calcium levels and has a tendency to produce a slightly acidic urine. A good cat food will also be properly balanced for key minerals (anions and cations) to achieve the proper urinary pH as opposed to containing a supplemental acid.
The cat owner must understand that several factors contribute to feline urinary tract disorders. Good diets are only a minor contribution. Some recommendations that cat owners apply to reduce the risks of feline urinary tract disorders are:
- Always allow the cat access to an abundant source of clean drinking water. Make sure the water is in a clean container. Provide distilled water as a source of drinking water.
- Always have food available for the cat. Multiple feedings are better than single meals.
- Keep the cat from stressful conditions.
- Keep the litter box in a convenient place that is acceptable to the cat.
© January, 2000. Blue Seal Feeds, Inc.
© Blue Seal Feeds – January, 2000